When Ashburn resident Amy Weisberg learned that her favorite gift shop, Zazu in Ashbrook Commons Plaza, was closing, she began to consider opening a similar concept of her own.
Weisberg has a background in retail and marketing as her husband owns Thousand Oaks Barrel Co. based in Manassas, which makes personalized gifts out of barrels that are sold in shops around the region.
She always enjoyed shopping at Zazu and in addition, the Thousand Oaks products were sold there, so she had a strong connection with Zazu’s owner, Maralyn Park.
“We had a good relationship and when I got the email saying she was retiring, I couldn’t believe it,” Weisberg said.
She wasn’t sure if it was the right time to launch a business, but she saw an opening for a special shop to serve the community. After searching around Ashburn for potential locations, she found a 3,300-square-foot space at Goose Creek Village and decided to move forward with her idea and call the shop Mon Amie Amy.
“Maralyn ended up mentoring me through the process and I could not have done it without her,” she said.
The next step was to figure out how to fill the shop with merchandise. Park had already sold her inventory at Zazu, but fortunately since Weisberg worked in the gift industry, she was already scheduled to attend a gift market show in July.
“I was able to start buying and after we found this location, we did whatever we could to make it ready for Christmas,” she said.
She hired Talisha Sheppard, who previously worked at Zazu, as the general manager for the store and she was “lucky to get her and several others” to join the team, she said.
The summer and fall months were spent collecting merchandise which was delivered to their warehouse in Manassas. They also had to transform the interior of the store from a pet store to a fun and decorative gift shop.
Weisberg has always enjoyed entertaining and decorating and it comes naturally to her and she hopes to share that passion at the store.
“I love having those special touches or decorating sparks to make it special and I’m trying to integrate that into the store,” she said.
She plans to host shopping events to show different and unique ways to entertain – such as a charcuterie night, a men’s whiskey night, or floral design.
While many of the same brands that were sold at Zazu are available at Mon Amie Amy, the shop has some new additions such as men’s clothing by Tommy Bahama, and a few of Weisberg’s favorite things.
Other items include handbags, jewelry, women’s clothing, candles, self-care items, home décor and lots of gift ideas, she said.
The goal is to make the shop a warm and welcoming place, she said.
For more information, visit Mon Amie Amy on Facebook or visit 115 Creek View Plaza in Ashburn. The store is open six days a week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
